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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

So, looking for some suitable sight reading material I pulled out the first Czerny book I got when I started lessons (100 Progressive Studies). Now, admittedly, not really sight reading because I did learn a bunch of the pieces three years ago. But since I can't remember much beyond last week it's close enough.

And, what do you know - I could play them pretty well. I would wager it was better than I did three years ago after practicing each of them for a week or do. I love how my reading has improved!

How long I will be able to say that in the book is another question ... they are progressive studies!

When you say this is about 'Achievement of the week' how do we think of the 'week'Today is Sunday 19th. so I'll reflect on the past week.I am so happy to have found another teacher!He is a performance MA from somewhere in Canada and is a paid accompanist for three choirs around here and plays for visiting artists when needed as well as having a teaching studio and is co-chair of the local musicians union or representative group . Loves Listz and Ravel and is an amazing player .So glad not to have bumped into an old fashioned ivory thumper who just goes through the grades.....He's about my eldest son's age, 35, but that just doesn't figure in the equation, we are about music and that I'm probably older than his mother doesn't matter!I played one of the studies I've been doing , a czerny something, and he picked up on my weaknesses the same way as my previous teacher so I know we are on the same wavelength. And he speaks Canadian! so much easier to follow than an Eastern European accent.And that Bach prelude no2 from WTC i've been hackling with, he had some really cute tips.Play every other note, then play 'off beat'. That was hard the first time but when I went back to give it a try the right way. Wow, I pretty much got it down!

Welcome to the AOTW tribe PalmPirate. I also tend to post on the weekend.

Way to go Whizbang. Performing at a festival is a big deal, especially at a specialty event where everyone knows the music.

Week 62: I participate at Songmakers, a local song circle format music group. I do four pieces, Canon in D, Lightness of Being, My Favorite Things, The Passage of Time. Two are originals, My Favorite Things is a sing along and goes badly. However, by the time I fall apart, everyone else is playing and singing and they don't seem to notice all my wrong notes. I just try and hold some semblance of rhythm together and crawl to the end. The other three went better, though all had some flaws. I play on the host's 1990 era Roland D20 keyboard while wearing my full fingered practice gloves.

After practicing on my Casio PX150 digital piano, the 61-key Roland keyboard is difficult to navigate. Still, I get some compliments. Like Whizbang, I survived and I am better for it. As I have written before, I have learned to lower my standards for live performances. For a beginner on any instrument, just getting to the end is an achievement. There have been more than a few times when I could not get to the end during a live performance, and abandoning feels a lot worse for everyone than stumbling or crawling to the finish. At the places I perform, the crowd is on my side, and wants me to succeed. Sometimes the performers that make mistakes and limp in get more applause than someone that played straight through.

I am happy to report that the event host and his wife are now taking music lessons. I think my taking up piano keyboard 15 months ago, has helped them make and stay with that decision. The wife has always wanted to learn piano, but never actually got started. They have a beautiful used upright piano that has been sitting and waiting for someone to play the instrument. The wife just had her first piano lessons. Hooray, another beginner in the tribe. The husband plays drums and recorders at a high level, and started cello about eight months ago, and is now taking cello lessons.

I tend to believe that my continuing to show up at their home, at first stumbling and fumbling on the keyboard, and now progressing to the point of being able to play some beginner pieces at a musical level, may have helped them see that progress is possible. Thankfully, I am not shy about performing in public. One perspective is that as beginner as I still sound, as beginner as I still feel, I have moments of musicality that make a positive impression on other musicians. Many of them are accomplished life-long musicians that can rattle off beautiful music and vocals at the drop of a hat. I can be proud of that achievement, even though every performance had major flubs.

I am glad to see that Toastie has shifted into a higher gear. Like so many others, it feels like I am in a lower gear. Last year, it took me 14 weeks to learn Ashokan Farewell and another six months more before I could do it in public. It took 15 weeks to learn my level one arrangement of Canon in D. So it has been a relatively low gear for me. It is not any slower now than before, even if it feels that way.

Those that see me every two months at Songmakers notice a measurable difference, while my own daily observations can't see any measureable progress. Someone else might say, yes you might be a slow learner of pieces, but you can write original songs. Well, as I told someone else at Songmakers, the secret to that is to spend time on the task. Something will come out. Like beginner pianists though, beginner composers are going to sound like beginners (not so good), with very few exceptions. I came to piano with over 10 years of being a songwriter. I am thankful that I have been able to learn to write harmony, and explore some other musical concepts.

Someone sings an original song about old dogs, with the stray line from the title of this Robert Frost poem.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,Her hardest hue to hold.Her early leaf's a flower;But only so an hour.Then leaf subsides to leaf,So Eden sank to grief,So dawn goes down to dayNothing gold can stay.

I have a long history with this poem, so hearing the line in the song touched me. Cheers everyone. Have a good week and keep those reports coming.

I think I'm finally getting the gist of rubato on Chopin's Prelude in Em! I was thinking of putting this piece down for a little while, but luckily I had another one of those light bulb moments when things just seem to click. Maybe it's just me... but, polishing this score can really be so frustrating!

_________________________
Adult beginner since January 2013. My only regret is that I didn't learn sooner.

It's gotta be the achievement of the century. I actually overcame multiple problems with computer and sound to post my first ever recording to Ecco Fatto. And Ecco Fatto describes it perfectly! Not real happy with the result. I did overcome and succeed.

Can you believe. My recorder still isn't recognized by my computer. I pull the SD card. Put the card in a reader. Computer recognizes it as the recorder! Name and all! Not only that. The software for my camera opens up and wants to download the recording as a picture! You should have seen it before when it didn't work. Doh!

My recorder still isn't recognized by my computer. I pull the SD card. Put the card in a reader. Computer recognizes it as the recorder! Name and all! Not only that. The software for my camera opens up and wants to download the recording as a picture!

Probably you don't need the program that came with your camera - it just complicates a simple system. Plug in the card, it should open in My Computer as an extra drive letter. Open it, look for where the files are stored. If they're pictures, drag them into a suitably-named folder in My Pictures. If they're audio, put them wherever you want to. No need for a special program.

Tonight... I'm beat! I've been immersed in listening to and performing music since Friday afternoon. That's about 16-18 hours of public music, of which I ended up being drafted for about 3 hours as a very, very junior performer, and a good amount of side music in private.

It's all kind of blurring together now, but if this is something folks would be interested in hearing about, I could start a thread.

Joyoussong/Carol - I find contrary motion very befuddling! Good for you!

TwoSnowflakes: Congrats on not flubbing in front of the teacher- that alone can be a major accomplishment! Why DID you quit the piano? Well, it doesn't matter, you're back now!I watched your video (Yes, Jim, it is flipped ) You may not be where you would like to be (yet), but you're off to a more than just respectable start - don't waste your energy bemoaning the 25 year gap, just get on with it and have fun!

FarmGirl - I think you are your own harshest critic. Again I say- sure there is room for improvement. There's always room for improvement. But "awful"? Really? So all of us who watched it and complimented you on it aren't able to tell the difference between a good effort that needs a little tweaking and something that is awful?hmmmmm......I guess we'd better improve our listening skills

Andy Platt -- Going back to Czerny after 3 years proved to be an interesting experience for you! What a great verification of the progress you've made with your reading (and playing) abilities!

Whizbang: attending a jazz festival is fun. Performing in one must be a blast! Good for you! And why not start a thread, I'm sure that there would be a number of people who don't usually come here who would be interested in hearing about the event

Palmpirate - sounds like you've hit the jackpot with your new teacher! Congratulations

SandTiger - I admire your ability to put yourself out there in public and play. I have trouble doing that in my own livingroom! It is indeed hard to judge our own progress - but one thing that always seems to work is to pick up something you were working on a few months earlier and try it again. Or.. listen to your earlier recordings and compare them to what you can do now.How neat that the hosts of your music get togethers are now taking lessons! I have no doubt that your dedication inspired them!

Malkin -- I don't know what the version is --- I got my half of the music from another student and I haven't seen the cove page! I will try to get it this week.Congrats on your decision to get a grand! Happy shopping!

ElleC... no, I don't think it is just you. I suspect most people have trouble polishing up a Chopin Prelude...especially those who've only been playing 5.5 months...

Earlofmar - that is an accomplishment! woohoo! way to go! Ecco fatto! Bravo!

_________________________ XVIII-XXXVISometimes I try to progress faster than I am ready for.SwissMsFollow your teacher's instructions and practice wisely/much, and you'll soon wonder how you ever found it hard. BobPicklePerformance anxiety: make it part of your daily routine and deal with it...Cope! zrtf90

I am also a big Robert Frost fan. I feel pleased that some of you are too.

After my positivity last week, I have hit a dip this week and have done nothing since my lesson on Friday as have been so busy with work. Well that's an excuse really because if I had wanted to fit it in I would have done. Am having one of those "I want to be good at this goddamit" tantrums where you want to be better so badly that it makes you a bit mad and then you don't practice which makes you more mad. I hate that. Does anyone else get that way sometimes?

We had our pre-recital adult student get-together/practice recital on Sunday afternoon. There were only three of us this year (one no show). It went ok for me....nothing great, but I got through my Chopin piece ok and still have two weeks to work on it. We all played a second and third time, so I got some good practice playing on a different piano in front of others, and even knocked out a decent All The Things You Are from memory.

I also did something that I forgot to do last year....and that is to wear the shoes I expect to wear at the recital. It may not sound important, but I usually practice at home without shoes. Last year at recital pedaling in shoes felt pretty strange and uncontrolled. I also practiced pedaling with shoes on a few days last week, so that helped too.

I'm glad we do these little rehearsals. It definitely takes some of the edge off my pre-recital anxiety.

I had a really great lesson today!! I played the Chopin Waltz, that was my recital submission, by memory. With some memory lapses. But, I got through it. And my teacher had very good things to say about how musical and sensitive my playing was. Gee, I even fixed the section I consistently got the counting wrong!! She said, that's because I was listening to myself.

I also played the Grieg Op 70 no 7 piece, Remembrances. Big improvement over last week. She said, "Now there's something there to really listen to"!!!

I'm playing both pieces in early June recitals. One on June 1st, the other on June 5th. I'll be looking for good times to start getting a recording of the Grieg. There's a lot to this short piece. I suspect that will be the case for all these Lyric Pieces by Grieg.

Whizbang- That sounds like quite an experience. It sounds like you performed very well!

JimF - I envy your adult student get togethers and recitals. I would love to find a teacher who did that with their adult students. Good luck on your recital.

This has been sort of a regrouping week for me. I have been so focussed on my recital piece, that everything else has been on the back burner. So, now I am taking stock of where I am and what my goals are.

The Debussy Arabesque is in the polishing stage and I am targeting it for the the August recital. My AOTW was making a baseline recording that was note perfect, but needs lots of refining. I am really enjoying this piece, and I have to reign myself in and actually practice slowly instead of playing full tilt. So my goal is to work on the slurs and the dynamics.

The Bach Invention is barely started, and my teacher wants me to play this piece hands separately with my eyes closed. OK, there's a goal.

The Liszt is in the developing material stage, and my goal is to get it memorized.

The Barcarolle is on the back burner now that the Grieg recital is added to the list. 38 3 is learned, but the 3 against 4's measures are rough. So, there is another goal- smooth out the polyrhythms.

I also did something that I forgot to do last year....and that is to wear the shoes I expect to wear at the recital. It may not sound important, but I usually practice at home without shoes. Last year at recital pedaling in shoes felt pretty strange and uncontrolled. I also practiced pedaling with shoes on a few days last week, so that helped too.

I'm glad we do these little rehearsals. It definitely takes some of the edge off my pre-recital anxiety.

Like JimF, I practice at home without shoes, and my teacher recommended to wear shoes while practicing pieces with pedal at home. Howeverl I don't know yet which pair I'll wear at the recital... it depends on weather!

This afternoon I played my recital pieces for a friend of my mother, in order to relieve my anxiety. She's very musical, played piano and sang for decades; I was more nervous than expected, and I made a couple of mistakes. But it was almost a decent pre-recital, and she gave me some useful advices. This is myAOTW.

Moreover, I played by memory two out of three pieces; I'm considering to do the same in the recital, but I'm not sure yet.

I've also put most everything on the back burner pending the recital, including my Bach Invention. Guessing it will take me some time to pick it up again once the recital is over.

The Liszt Db Consolation is one of my favorites.....would love to play it some day.

Oh, that reminds me to get that Scarlatti piece off my sig line...put it to bed a while back.

By the way, our teacher does arrange the recital, but has nothing to do with the adult student get-togethers. They were my idea last year....and I think I got the notion right here at ABF. Teacher isn't even invited....well, she'd be welcome, but I don't think she needs to chew up her free time listening to us all for the umpteenth time.

Toastie, I can't honestly say I've been in that sort of frame of mind. If I get fed up and frustrated I may just noodle or play old stuff, but I won't stay away from the piano.Hope you get out of your funk soon.

UK Paul UK - hey nice compliment! I don't get the part about shooting the rat though... Is that slang in snooker or billiards?

GiacomoF - sounds like your pre-recital event went really well. I would not have thought about the shoes issue. I play with slippers or flip flops at home, but with regular shoes (different ones) when I go to the school for my lessons. One thing I learned through someone else's experience was to NOT wear high heels!

Dynambot - You sound like you're in very good shape for your upcoming recitals - that's super! I agree with you that the Grieg pieces have a lot to them, though they seem simple at first glance. Getting the notes right isn't too tricky - getting them to sound lovely and musical is another story!

SwissMS - I am already looking forward to your Arabesque! I'm listening to the Bach piece as I type - that should be a nice challenge to work on ! I think you're going to become our resident expert on Barcarolles! I heard Consolation in our recital this weekend -- you've got a truly wonderful collection of pieces on the go here! I hope we get to hear some of them in Brussels!

Torquenale - Sounds like your experiment of playing for your mother's friend was a great idea! Don't feel pressured to play without the music!

I had a good lesson today - got more pointers on how to get my Siciliene smoother (I've got to...wait for it....SLOW DOWN - for the moment! lol what a surprise).For First Loss my goal is to play it perfectly accurately next week, - albeit at a slower than performance tempo. I had fun working on the Radetsky march again with "Steve". I don't know where the duet comes from, it is a photocopy from a book he got from a former teacher. It is pretty simple - but challenging enough for us!

_________________________ XVIII-XXXVISometimes I try to progress faster than I am ready for.SwissMsFollow your teacher's instructions and practice wisely/much, and you'll soon wonder how you ever found it hard. BobPicklePerformance anxiety: make it part of your daily routine and deal with it...Cope! zrtf90

I had a pretty good lesson today. I played the RH part of Come Back to Sorrento for the teacher and explained my frustration of not being able to get the rubato down quite right where it changes from Dm to DM. She showed me an excellent tip on a way to help with this and I'm very anxious/excited to try this out this week.

I have finished up with Lunar Eclipse and it certainly is better sounding than the version I posted earlier, especially the pedaling. Anyway, I'm revisiting a rag I learned earlier this year to try and improve on that as well. She gave me some new minor key arpeggios to practice too.

We've had terrifying weather close to here for the past week so I have been a bit stressed to say the least. TADA, my tech/tuna Ray came to tune my Yamaha the 18th. It is soo very lovely when he finishes tuning. He says it is stable enough now to go six months before next tune barring any tornados or floods of course.

you've got a truly wonderful collection of pieces on the go here! I hope we get to hear some of them in Brussels!

Ha! Brussels will be the first time I have played for anyone outside of my own family since I was eleven years old. I am hoping to play chopsticks without falling apart! However, I will try the Arabesque.

SwissMS - I wonder who will dare to go first at the party. Will be a bit scary, right?

I would be more than happy to go first. Otherwise I will sit there and work myself up into terror! If I do not have time to think about it, I might just forget anyone is listening.

We might have to toss a coin for that

_________________________ XVIII-XXXVISometimes I try to progress faster than I am ready for.SwissMsFollow your teacher's instructions and practice wisely/much, and you'll soon wonder how you ever found it hard. BobPicklePerformance anxiety: make it part of your daily routine and deal with it...Cope! zrtf90